FIFA President Sounds Alarm on Match-Fixing Menace in Football

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has raised the alarm over the persistent threat of match-fixing in football. This concern was voiced during the first FIFA Integrity Summit on fairness, which took place in Singapore from April 4th to 5th.

The summit’s primary goal is to enlighten stakeholders about global integrity trends, disseminate best practices, introduce the new FIFA Integrity Handbook and Education Roadmap, and share decisions from FIFA and the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on match manipulation.

In his address to the summit attendees, Infantino underscored that the multi-billion-dollar football industry will invariably attract criminal elements. “We must ensure that the playing field remains level and the game free of malevolent outside influences, because if it doesn’t, then the very existence of our beloved sport will be under threat. We have to remain on our guard,” the FIFA president stressed.

Infantino is of the view that the specter of match-fixing in football can only be banished if FIFA and its association members unite and wage a concerted battle against it.

The summit has drawn integrity officers from the six FIFA confederations. Over the course of the event, they will listen to speeches from key speakers from FIFA and the CAS, as well as other experts in the field of combating match-fixing.